Sweet Sake and Bittersweet Memories
by Jeice Lover
Summary: It is a simple day, one when two old friends sit down to chat. They share laughs, sake, and the memories of the friends who are not there to share these things with them.


The taste of the cooled sake was delicious and satisfying as Tatsuma slowly sipped it. He held the alcohol in his mouth, savoring the flavor. He was just taking a break from his work in the inn, and he thought it would be a good time for a bit of a treat, so to speak.

"Drinking this early in the day? A bit early for that, isn't it?" Tatsuma chuckled under his breath as he placed the small cup down beside him.

"Ah, but isn't this the kind of thing we always used to talk about when we were little, Yaozo?" He smiled and patted the space beside him. "Come on, it's a nice day out, at least take a few minutes to relax and chat with your old friend." Yaozo hesitated a moment, but then lowered himself down with a groan so he was sitting beside his old friend. Tatsuma poured out another cup of sake and served himself another bit as well.

"Kampai," they both mumbled. The two of them clinked cups silently and sipped as they watched the scenery.

"Just like the good old days, eh?" Yaozo muttered. Tatsuma smiled and nodded slowly.

"Yeah. Well, almost like the good old days, anyways." The two felt a bit of a somber mood fall over their conversation for a moment. Suddenly, though, Yaozo looked up and spoke.

"Hey, do you remember that day, oh so long ago, when the girls made us lunches just because?" Tatsuma allowed another chuckle to escape him.

"Of course, how could I ever forget that day? It was the first time Torako ever gave me something besides a headache, after all." He joined Yaozo's upwards gaze and leaned back. "I remember it like it was almost yesterday..."

"_Hey! You boys!" Tatsuma looked up as he heard the familiar high voice of Torako calling to him. The girl was running up to him, with her friends following behind her. Tatsuma had never before heard her speak to him before (other than to yell at him meaninglessly), so he was confused as to why she would be coming towards him._

"_Oh, hello Torako," he said a bit less than enthusiastically. "What are you all doing here?" Torako pressed her lips together and looked away, he noticed she had her hands behind her back. Suddenly, though, she whipped something out from behind her back and held it out to him._

"_Here, I made this for you." Tatsuma started, looking over at Yaozo with confusion. It was a small box, covered with a clean, plaid-patterned cloth and tied closed with a string. He took it from her, mutterning 'thanks' and opened it up. He gasped aloud when he saw what was inside. It turned out to be a box lunch, and it looked delicious. It was filled with pure white rice, a small salad of tomato and lettuce, and bits of sausage cut up into cute shapes._

"_Wow! You made this Torako? For me?" Torako, blushing, looked away and nodded._

"_Y-yeah. So what if I did?" She pointed over to Kayako, who held a similar box. "Well, Kayako made one for Yaozo, too." Yaozo jerked up, looking surprised._

"_Really? For me?" Kayako nodded, positively glowing._

"_Yeah, it's nothing special. Just a rice omelette and some chicken." She crossed her arms and blushed darkly. "Well, I spent a lot of time on this, so you'd better eat it and like it, got it?" Yaozo felt a bit of sweat going down the back of his neck, but took it anyways._

"_Well, thanks, I guess."_

–

"I still remember how tasty that was," Yaozo said, licking his lips from the memory. "Hard to believe that was so long ago, time passes by fast." Tatsuma leaned back, swirling the sake in his cup.

"Aren't we forgetting something else about that day, Yaozo?" His friend frowned, thinking, then his face lightened up and he nodded.

"You know, you're right."

–

"_Um... if you don't mind, I made one for you, too." Their shaved-headed friend smiled gently, as was his habit, and took it from her._

"_Wow, this looks delicious," he complemented as he opened it up. "This must have taken a lot of effort, you didn't have to do this for me, you know." She blushed slightly and looked down at the ground._

"_Oh, it was really nothing. I just... I just wanted to see you smile." He picked up the chopsticks she had also brought out. He picked up a small morsel of food and placed it into his mouth. She watched patiently as he slowly chewed. "So... what do you think?" she asked nervously. He swallowed it slowly and showed her a small smile._

"_I think that someday you'll make some man very happy that you're his bride." She blushed fiercely, and so did he after he realized what he had just said. The rest of them laughed at the two of them with good humor. Still, the two were smiling as they looked away._

–

"Yeah, those two were really meant for each other. Always were, I say." Yaozo sat back, having drained his sake. With a sigh, he stood up and stretched out his back. "Well, I'm sure that, wherever they are, they're together now." He smiled up to the sky, "and I'm sure they're looking down proudly at their child from above." He turned to head inside, continuing his duties as an exorcist. "Thanks for the sake, I needed that." He paused for a moment. "And we both needed a moment to remember." Tatsuma waited a moment until his friend was gone. He looked up to the sky, smiling just as Yaozo had.

"I'm not quite sure if you both are listening now," he said to the open air, "but I hope that, if you are, you're both proud of who your child has become. I know he's doing his best in your stead, as the head of the Miwa family. And he's doing his best to watch out for Ryuuji and Renzo, just as you always did for us, old friend.." He picked up his empty sake cup, and filled it up one more time. He held it up into the air, closing his eyes to remember the dear friend who had been lost so many years ago. "To you old friend. Kampai."


End file.
